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TVS Motor's Venu Srinivasan: EV Not the Only Solution, Backs Ethanol and Customer Choice
- •Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor Company, advocates for customer choice in vehicle technology, stating that EV is not the sole solution for India's mobility needs.
- •He emphasized that customers should have options including internal combustion engines, hybrids, EVs, and future technologies like CNG or ethanol, prioritizing the net effect on the country's environment.
- •Srinivasan supports ethanol as a viable solution for India due to high oil imports, noting that self-sufficient ethanol production should be considered despite marginal performance degradation.
- •He highlighted that while EV growth is natural, particularly in urban areas, TVS Motor opposes prescribing or banning any technology, believing it's not in the customer's best interest.
- •Srinivasan also discussed TVS Motor's commitment to quality, its journey to becoming a top-ranked company, and the significant export opportunities in Africa and South America.
Key Questions Answered
Venu Srinivasan stated that electric vehicles are not the only solution and that customers should have the freedom to choose their preferred vehicle technology. He believes in being technology-agnostic to evaluate the net effect on the country's pollution, air quality, and environment, allowing EV growth to happen naturally without bans or prescriptions.
Srinivasan supports ethanol because India has high oil imports, and shifting toward a self-sufficient ethanol model is beneficial for the country. He noted that the performance degradation is very marginal and pointed out that all of Brazil successfully runs on ethanol.
Indian two-wheelers are exported to 151 countries with exports rising multifold over the past decade, with Africa and South America presenting large opportunities. Srinivasan noted that Africa is the first priority where Indian products are well accepted, supported by companies like Airtel, Bajaj, and TVS.
